The Friday Night Bachelor Club
by Jerrib
Summary: Sequel to The Bachelor Auction where we find out what happened to Steve on his trip to Maui.  I'm not done with this series yet but I have to think on the next one.  Feedback welcome. And of course I don't own these characters.


The Friday Night Bachelor Club

Sorry it's been such a long wait but here is the sequel to The Bachelor Auction. Steve receives visitors and reluctantly tells us all what happened in Maui. Enjoy. Amazingly I'm not done with all these characters yet. More to come.

Steve McGarrett lay on his leather couch trying to remember the last time he had spent an hour just sitting still and not doing anything. He glared at the other end of the sofa where his ankle was propped up on a pillow and covered with a cold pack. It was absolutely ridiculous that he'd managed to hurt his ankle twice in one month. The first time was a few weeks before when he'd taken a day off and got into a brief fight with some guys who were hassling his friend Mamo. That time he'd rested his sore ankle for a few hours and it had been fine. This time he wasn't so lucky. According to the doctor he needed to stay off his foot for at least three days.

He continued to try and remember the last time he'd actually done nothing. He honestly couldn't remember just sitting still like this. Steve had his work, his father's cases, the Mercury Marquis project and all his home repairs from the shooting a few months before. Plus he tried to get in a workout every day, he never knew when he'd get called up by the Seals.

His phone rang and he glanced at the screen quickly, "Yes Governor."

"Why is it that the head of my task force gets hurt and I get called by everyone, except the head of the task force, to tell me about it?" The Governor's voice was calm but Steve could detect a hint of steel in her voice.

"Who called you?" Steve had no good answer and he knew it.

"Let me see. Detective Williams called to tell me you'd been hurt and taken to the hospital. The doctor who saw you called because I had you flagged in the hospital's system. Mary Andrews called because she saw you in a wheel chair being wheeled out to your car. And Kono called to let me know that she'd brought you home and you were supposed to be resting but that you are terrible at following doctor's orders. So how exactly were you injured?"

"Governor, it's really nothing."

"Let me be the judge of that Steve. Just tell me the story and why exactly you chose not to call and tell me you were injured."

"Governor, it's really nothing. We were chasing a suspect and he abandoned his car on the Pali highway and took off into the jungle."

"So you followed him." It wasn't a question but obviously the Governor wanted him to continue.

"Yes, ma'am. I pursued him on foot. I lost sight of him briefly and, well, he jumped me. And we fell."

"You fell."

"Yes ma'am."

"On to the ground?"

"Well not exactly ma'am. Down a hill."

"According to Danny Williams it was a cliff."

"Ma'am it was not a cliff. I can assure you it was a hill, a steep hill, but a hill."

"And that's how you sprained your ankle."

"No ma'am. I was fine, a few bruises and scrapes that's all really. I was able to subdue the suspect and get him back up to where Danny and Chin were waiting."

"So how did you hurt your ankle?"

"I tripped." Steve could not believe he had to say it.

"You tripped."

"On our way back to the car, the suspect attempted to break free even though he was cuffed. He had knocked down Danny and well I, I kicked him and then I tripped."

"What do you mean you kicked him?" The Governor's voice now held a tone of amusement.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already know the answer, ma'am?"

"Well I believe that Detective Williams claimed you leapt into the air like a super Ninja and kicked the suspect in the head with your foot. And that when you landed you hit a rock and severely twisted your ankle."

"Super Ninja seems like an exaggeration," Steve said.

"Well, next time you go to the hospital I expect you to call and let me know yourself, unless you're unconscious."

"Yes ma'am."

"Now, do you need anything?"

"No ma'am, thank you for offering."

"Well you won't hear from me for the next three days. Follow the doctor's orders and I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Thank you Governor." Steve hung up. He sat for a few moments and surveyed his coffee table. He had food, reading material and a big bottle of water. Kono had set it up before she left while he was getting cleaned up. He sighed. He would never admit it to anyone but his body was sore. The fall down the hill had left him feeling a bit beat up, and his right shoulder was throbbing. Using the crutches didn't help much. Thank god he had the outdoor shower so he was able to get cleaned up and put on a clean shirt and shorts before he came inside and hadn't had to climb the stairs. Those stairs on crutches weren't something he was looking forward to. Just then his phone alarm went off. He pulled out the phone and looked at the screen.

REMINDER: Leave now to go home and change for the Bachelors Club meeting.

Steve groaned. He'd completely forgotten that tonight was the first meeting of the group of bachelors he'd met doing the charity auction two weeks before. He had actually stayed in touch with several of the men and even joined them for a morning surf session earlier this week, before his latest case had consumed all his time. He wouldn't be able to make it, even if he could get around easily on the crutches, there was no way he could drive with his ankle like this. Steve checked the contact list in his phone and hit send.

"Hey Steve," Sam Ballachek, restaurateur and former San Diego Charger answer his phone. He was also the host of this evening's gathering of bachelors. He'd reserved the private dining room of his restaurant for them. "You on your way over?" 

"Sam, I'm sorry. I'm not going to be able to make it."

"Dude, why?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "I had an accident at work and I'm stuck off my feet for the next few days. Hurt my ankle."

"Oh, I had that happen to me more than once. Sorry to hear that. Guess you'll be hanging out watching sports all weekend."

"Well not exactly, I've got some stuff to read."

"You don't like television?" Sam asked.

"My dad's old TV gave up the ghost a few weeks ago. But I can watch some things on my laptop."

"I'm sorry and I know the other guys will be too. Everyone was looking forward to hearing how your date went."

"I'll make it next time. Say hello to everyone for me."

"Sure thing, you take care Steve." 

Steve hung up and tossed the phone on the coffee table. He drank from the bottle of water next to him then grabbed one of the books from the pile on the coffee table. Kono had obviously gone into his father's books to pull things for him. He glanced at the back. A Navy Seal battling terrorists plotting against the United States. Story of his life was all he could think. He settled back.

An hour later he was laughing hysterically, unable to put the book down. He started with surprise when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he called. The door swung open and in walked Mary Andrews and her two foster children Sarah and Jacob.

"Stevie," both children shrieked as they charged him on the sofa.

"Stop," Mary yelled and both kids screeched to a halt just inches from the sofa. "What did we talk about?"

"Stevie got a booboo," little Sarah stated. "And we can't jump all over him like maniacs."

"Exactly. So let's be nice to Steve," Mary smiled at him over their heads. He grinned back at her.

Sarah approached him first and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Jacob walked up and solemnly shook hands. Both then headed for the other end of the couch and examined Steve's foot.

"How are you doing? You must be doing better than I thought you were, we could hearing you laughing as we were walking up to the door." Mary joined the children, bending to pick up the cold pack draped over his ankle.

"I'm reading the funniest book," Steve held it up to show her. She walked over and looked at the back.

"Steve, this isn't a comedy."

"It's not supposed to be but it is. You have a Navy Seal who's out on a mission, and he meets a girl and he stops for," Steve glanced at the children and cocked his eyebrow at her, "a play date. No Seal in his right mind is going to stop for a play date in the middle of a mission. And who would send him out there on his own? You have a whole Seal team. Seals are not lone wolves. That's the guys at the CIA."

"And you are finding this funny?"

"It's a riot," Steve chuckled.

"Do grownups have play dates?" Sarah asked, her eyes round.

"Yes, sweetie," Mary grinned at the little girl.

"Maybe you and Stevie could have a play date," Jacob chimed in.

Steve and Mary exchanged amused glances. She merely smiled at the children, "Steve is very busy fighting crime."

"Not that busy," Steve stated.

"We'll see when he's feeling better. Now, how are you?" She sat in a chair across from the couch and watched in amusement as the two children both crowded onto the couch with Steve. 

"I'm fine. Hey, did you really call the Governor and tell her you saw me in a wheelchair?"

"Well, actually I called her back. Originally she called and told me to go check on you. I called her back after I saw you leaving. In fact, I'll admit it; she was the one who suggested that we stop by and bring you some dinner."

"You brought dinner?"

"Yes, it's in the cooler out in the car."

"We got enough for all of us, but Mary says we need to wait till you ask us to join you for dinner. If you don't then we're getting pizza," Jacob said. He appeared to give his next words serious thought. "We really like pizza but we like you better than pizza Steve. So we hope you'll ask us to stay."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Jacob, you don't tell someone that."

"But I really do like Steve better than pizza," Jacob insisted.

Steve laughed. "Of course you should all stay. So what did you bring for dinner?"

"We've got a bunch of different cold salads, cold cuts and bread. It will be easy for you to put together while you're off your feet. No cooking involved."

"I appreciate that."

"I'll go bring the food in," Mary got up and headed for the door. She stopped as she opened the door and glanced back. She had to smile. Sarah was cuddled next to Steve in the crook of his arm. Jacob was sitting on the floor chatting to Steve with animation. She looked out the door and saw a large truck pulling into the driveway. "Looks like you're getting another delivery."

"What? I didn't order anything." Steve struggled to sit up without knocking Sarah off the sofa.

"Let me go talk to them," Mary went outside. Steve waited impatiently for her to return. When the door reopened Mary came back in carry two bags of groceries. She was followed by two men carrying a large flat box.

"What is that?" Steve craned his neck to try and see.

"Someone sent you a flat panel TV," Mary headed towards the kitchen.

The two men stood watching Steve, "Dude, where you want us to set this up?"

"I didn't order this," Steve finally put Sarah on the floor and pushed himself upright, reaching for his crutches.

"We know. Sam Ballachek sent this to you. He told us to tell you that no one should watch football on a laptop computer. He said you can argue with him about it when you can stand on your own two feet again." The taller of the two men spoke calmly. "Now where do you want this set up?"

"How big is it?" Steve asked.

"Fifty –two inches. It's a nice one. Where's your cable outlet?"

Steve pointed at his father's old TV. He watched as the two men moved the old TV out of the way and cleared some items off the cabinet it stood on. Then they set up the base and settled the TV into it and hooked up the cable box. The children watched with equally rapt attention. At last the TV was in place, and one of the men brought Steve the remote with fresh batteries. Steve looked at the children and gestured for Jacob to come over. He handed him the remote and pointed to the power button.

"Jacob, you will be the first one to turn it on. Sarah, you'll be the first to turn it off," he smiled as Jacob solemnly pointed the remote and pushed the button. Everyone cheered as the television sprang to life. Steve thanked the two workmen and made a helpless gesture – his wallet was on the other side of the room.

"No worries, broh, Sam took care of us," the taller of the workmen said.

"Sounds like you know him well," Steve commented.

"We do all the electronics for his restaurant. He's a great guy to work with. Enjoy the TV."

"Thanks guys," Mary walked the two men out. She turned back to see both children and Steve staring at the television intently. She came around and saw they were watching an Animal Planet program on lions.

"Have you ever seen a real lion, Steve?" Jacob asked.

Steve began to tell the children stories about his time in the Navy and the time he'd seen one while he was in Africa. Mary settled into a chair to watch when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," she said. When she opened the door she was greeted by the sight of eight men, each one carrying a large platter or a case of beer. She knew them all immediately, they had all appeared in the bachelor auction Steve had been. "Can I help you?"

"Is Steve here?"Sam Bellichek asked.

"I'm sorry, Steve can't come out and play today," she grinned at him. Sam immediately grinned back, noting how attractive she was.

"We were all supposed to have dinner. Since Steve couldn't make it I thought we could bring dinner to him," he hoisted a platter towards her.

"Come on in, the more the merrier," she held the door as the whole group filed in.

Greetings and introductions were made. Two of the bachelors, Josh Berman, a pediatric oncologist, and Jack Channing, a professional golfer, immediately offered to take the children outside to play on the beach. Mary hesitated slightly.

"Mary, the children I see all week are ill. It would be a pleasure to spend some time with healthy children," Josh said sincerely.

"I have a camp that I've established to teach underprivileged children golf. I love working with kids," Jack chimed in.

Steve had to smile at the two men earnestly giving their credentials for child care. Mary finally agreed and the men took the children outside. Steve moved his foot off the couch and onto the coffee table, making room on the couch for the others to sit down. A short while later everyone was enjoying beers and the huge platters of food Stan had provided.

Chin slowed as he approached the McGarrett driveway. He was driving Steve's truck back to the McGarrett house. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Kono's car behind him slowing as well. He slammed on the brakes a moment later when he realized Steve's drive was completely full of cars and trucks, glad he hadn't turned at full speed. He pulled over and parked two doors down, leaving room for Kono to park behind him.

She got out of her car and approached him. "What do you think is going on back there?"

"It looks like he's having a party."

"When I left him he couldn't even get off the couch. How the heck is he having a party?" Kono asked.

"How does he do half the stuff that he does? Let's go find out," Chin locked the truck and they walked back to Steve's. As they approached they could hear children shrieking and laughing on the beach side of the house. Chin knocked on the door.

A moment later the door swung open and a blonde woman looked at them both inquiringly. "Yes, can I help you?"

"We're here to see Steve. We're on his team," Chin said. "Wait, we know you?" He looked at Kono.

"You're the woman who went on the trip to Maui with Steve," Kono said.

"Yes, Mary Anderson. It's nice to see you both. Sorry for not recognizing you right away. Things here are a little crazy," as she finished a burst of laughter rang out behind her. "Come on in."

Chin and Kono followed her inside. The living room was filled with laughing men, most of whom immediately stood when they spotted Kono.

"Another lovely lady Steve," Sam Ballachek said. "Do you have them scheduled, one to arrive every hour or so?"

Steve chuckled as he introduced Chin and Kono and invited them to stay and eat. "We have more food than you can imagine." Chin went over to give Steve the keys to his truck then headed towards the kitchen with Kono.

Soon everyone was eating and laughing as Sam recounted the events of his bachelor auction date. "Seriously, it was not my fault. It was a private gourmet dinner; I had my best chef prepare it. How was I supposed to know that she had assumed that the private dinner would be at my home and not at the restaurant? We got our signals crossed. So, I'm sitting in the private dining room waiting for her, and waiting. And meanwhile she is sitting at the gate at my house arguing with my housekeeper. I guess she finally gave up but put the car in drive rather than reverse. Smashed my gate hard. The housekeeper freaked and called the cops. She thought she was under attack. She finally called me at the restaurant; I got there just in time to keep them from hauling my date away. I cleared everything up and took her to dinner. And paid for her car. And had to get my gate fixed. Most expensive date of my life."

Everyone was howling with laughter when the front door popped open and Danny Williams strolled in carrying a pizza box. At that moment the two children and their minders came in through the kitchen and began cheering at the sight of the pizza box.

"So you're having a party and you don't invite me? After I stopped and got you dinner and everything." Danny smiled at Steve.

"I honestly think I now have enough dinner to last me for the next two months," Steve joked. He watched the two children follow Danny and the pizza box into the kitchen. "He's like the pied piper with that pizza."

"So Steve, when are you going to tell us how your date went?" Sam prodded his friend.

Steve glanced over at Mary who looked back at him with her eyebrow raised. "I'm sure everyone would rather hear about Josh or Jack's dates."

Everyone shook their heads at him. "No, Steve, we all want to hear yours. From what I can tell you haven't told anyone about it." Sam looked over at Kono, Chin and Danny who all shook their heads.

"We've asked him every day and he just keeps saying it was fine. Not that any of us believe him. The man cannot go anywhere without causing mayhem." Danny said.

"Steve, come on and tell us. If you don't I'm sure Mary will be happy to," Chin said.

"Why would Mary know about the date?" Sam asked.

Steve realized he was losing his battle to keep his team from finding out about his trip. He'd been amazed they hadn't heard from anyone on Maui. "Mary went on the trip, with the children."

"Rachel offered me her place on the date when she found out I had offered to be a foster mother to Sarah and Jacob. I'd been thinking about adopting and when I saw them at the auction I just knew we were meant to be a family. Rachel gave us the trip as a way to bond. And she knew the children were already fond of Steve."

"Why don't you tell about the weekend Mary? Looks like Steve isn't going to give up all the juicy details," Sam slide over on the couch and offered her the seat next to Steve. Mary took it and glanced at Steve. His face was calm and watchful but his look made her a little uneasy. He saw her looking and smiled and gave her a wink. She checked on the children who were happily engrossed at Steve's kitchen table eating pizza under the supervision of several of the men, who seemed to be enjoying spending time with the children.

"Well, we took off from the heliport and Steve headed us over to Maui. He spotted a school of dolphins so he circled it several times. The children were thrilled to see the dolphins leaping into the air. We also saw a whale breaching. Really was amazing. I've lived here for years and I never realized what you could see from a helicopter. Then we headed for the heliport after a little detour."

Danny was very aware what kinds of little detours Steve could get into and immediately spoke up. "Hold it. Exactly what was the little detour?"

"Well," Mary looked at Steve who sighed.

"We were heading to the heliport when I spotted a car being chased by two police cars. I just helped the police out a bit."

"Steven, exactly how did you help them out?" Danny had a feeling he knew what was coming. He'd seen pilot Steve in action before.

"I blocked the speeding car by hovering on the highway in front of it." When everyone in the room gasped he hastily continued. "We weren't in any danger. If they didn't slow down we would have been out of their way instantly."

"What did they do?" asked Kono.

"Well, they were really surprised and they went off the road," Steve answered.

"So did both the police cars," Mary added.

"That's true," Steve replied as everyone chuckled. "But they caught the guys and no one was hurt. The two had robbed a liquor store in broad daylight. And it was right down the street from the police station. Not the smartest thing to do, a high speed chase on an island. Not a lot of places to hide."

"What about the children?" Sam asked. He was turned towards Steve and Mary with his arm draped across the couch behind Mary.

"They had a great time," Mary said. "They were cheering Steve on, shouting shoot them, shoot them. In fact, their great disappointment was that we didn't have gun turrets on the chopper. I'm still trying to figure out how they know about such things but I personally blame video games."

"Good grief," said Chin.

"What do you have to say to that?" Danny asked Steve.

Steve looked thoughtful. "It's always nice to have gun turrets on a helo, though I prefer missiles so you can fly and shoot at the same time. With gun turrets you need someone else to fire. I suppose if I'd had them I could have instructed Mary," the rest of his sentence was drowned out by the roar of laughter from the group.

Danny just rolled his eyes. "So what happened next?"

"We landed at the heliport and once Steve finished with the chief of police we took a VIP limo to the resort. The children were thrilled. At the hotel we were greeted by the manager and escorted to the Presidential suite."

"What was the resort like?"

"There are ten pools, all sort of tiered and connected by little rivers. They also had a children's pool. There were birds and flowers everywhere; there were even flamingos in ponds in the lobby. It was amazing. It was paradise," Mary said. "And they gave us a two room suite. Steve gave Sarah and I the king bedroom and he and Jacob bunked in the room with two beds. And we had a living room, dining room, kitchen and one room we never could figure out. And a full ocean view – it was great. Anyway, we unpacked then went downstairs for lunch. We ate outside and I have to say Steve was a great sport."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Well, Sarah decided she didn't want to sit in her chair, she preferred to sit on Steve and eat off his plate. It's not the most appealing thing to have someone else's hands in your food."

"She was fine," Steve protested. "My sister used to do it to me all the time when she was little."

"Anyway," Mary continued. "After lunch we all changed and took the children for their swimming lessons." She paused as Sarah and Jacob came over to join them on the couch. Jacob squeezed in between Mary and Steve and Sarah immediately climbed up on Steve's lap and relaxed against him. "Did you guys enjoy your swimming lessons?"

"Sure," Jacob replied. "You have to be able to swim if you're going to be a Seal."

"Are you planning to be a Seal?" Sam asked as everyone smiled at the statement.

"Oh yes, it's like being a superhero only better." Jacob stated this with absolute assurance.

"Why is it better?" Mary asked.

"Well, Steve says that if someone is a superhero you're a loner, but if you are a Seal you get to help people and save the world and you're on a team. And a good team is the most important thing. So when I grow up I'm going to be a Navy Seal and join Steve's team."

Danny, Chin and Kono all glanced over at Steve. He merely looked back at them impassively.

"And I'm going to save people, just like Steve did." Jacob stated.

"Save people? Who did you save Steve?" Josh asked.

"It was nothing," Steve replied.

"Oh come on. You know you have to spill it." Sam egged Steve on.

"It was really nothing. Two of the parents had several small children playing by one of the pools. The parents were jetlagged and they dozed off. Well two of the children went too close to the edge of the deep pool and fell in. I pulled them out."

"Oh please," Mary interrupted rolling her eyes. "He handed me Sarah and leaped out of the pool and took off running like he was bionic. He dove into the deep pool, went all the way across and came up holding both children. All that before the lifeguard on duty even stood up. It was amazing. The children were fine, I checked them over. They were more scared than anything. Steve was the hero of the hour." 

"You saved two children from drowning and you say it was nothing?" Danny said. "Are you kidding?"

"Steve says that it isn't ap, ap, ap. What's the word Steve?" Jacob turned to Steve.

"Appropriate."

"That's it, appropriate to talk about the good things you do. It's better to do good, than talk about doing good." Jacob shook his finger at Danny.

"So, after you rescued the children, then what?" Sam pulled everyone's attention back to Mary.

"Well, we took the children to the beach and let them play on the edge of the water. Steve and Jacob built a sand castle while Sarah and I gathered shells to decorate it. It was really wonderful and relaxing. We were out there for quite a while then decided to go back and clean up and let the kids take a rest before dinner."

"That was an understatement; these two were ready for bed once we cleaned them up. We finally just ordered room service for them and got them fed and into bed by 7." Steve tickled Sarah's side so she giggled on his lap.

"So what did you two do?"

"Well the hotel offered us a babysitter so Steve and I decided to go down and have dinner at the hotel restaurant. I thought it would be a nice relaxing evening but I was wrong."

"Did terrorists break in and Steve had to fight them all barehanded?" Chin asked.

"No, it turns out that the family whose children Steve saved was part of a large family reunion at the resort. When they saw us they insisted we join them for dinner. It was quite a large party and pretty rowdy. I've never seen so much toasting in my life. Steve was toasted at least once every fifteen minutes." 

"I knew we were in trouble when they all started toasting each of the waiters, by name," Steve added.

"Finally we finished eating and tried to make an excuse to leave," Mary said, ignoring Steve's slight head shake. Danny spotted it though.

"What was your excuse?"

"Oh," Mary glanced at Steve who nodded. "We told them we wanted to go dancing. We didn't realize that most of them would decide to come with us."

"So you two went dancing?" Kono looked at Steve closely but he just smiled at her.

"Steve's a very good dancer," Mary said. "I never expected to see him leading a Conga line. Or winning the limbo contest. He's really very flexible."

Every man in the room was looking at Steve with grins on their faces. He knew immediately he was never going to hear the end of this.

"It was fun," Steve added. "I thought the Conga line would wear them out so we could escape. It just made them more thirsty. That's how the limbo contest got started. And of course I won, they all kept falling over."

"After an hour or so we made our escape so we could let the babysitter leave. It had been a really busy day," Mary summed up. "Sarah was asleep in my bed, and Jacob was dead to the world in Steve's room. So we just crashed. I do have to say, the next morning I had the fright of my life when I woke up and Sarah was gone." She smoothed the little girl's hair fondly. Sarah blinked sleepily at the crowd and bestowed a smile on them all. She had a firm grip on one of Steve's hands.

"What did you do?"

"Well my first thought was she would be in the living room. When she wasn't there, I ran through the whole suite looking for her. The door was still closed and the chain was on it so I knew she wasn't out in the hall. The door to the balcony was also closed so I just couldn't figure out where she was. I finally went into Steve's room to see if he was up and knew where she was."

"And where was she?" Sam asked.

"Both Sarah and Jacob were sitting on the foot of Steve's bed. He was sound asleep and they were both watching him. I asked them what they thought they were doing. They told me that Steve had done such a good job looking after them that they felt it was their job to look after him for a change. So in effect, they were guarding him while he was asleep."

"Awwww," everyone said in unison.

"How could you sleep through them doing that?" Chin asked Steve.

"Who said I did?" Steve replied. He smiled down at Sarah who was finally asleep, her head resting on his chest. Jacob was nodding off as well, though he was fighting sleep as hard as he could. "The fact that they discussed what to do for about five minutes right next to me was what woke me up. But they were so earnest I thought I'd let them enjoy themselves. I figured eventually they'd get bored and wake me up but they kept it up for almost an hour. Mary finally came and got them."

"So once everyone was up we got packed up and headed downstairs for breakfast. The kids were asking for t-shirts to remember the trip by and we stopped in the gift shop. Unfortunately," She paused and looked at Steve.

"Go ahead, they might as well know it all," Steve said.

"What did he do?" Danny just had to ask.

"Well, we all went into the gift shop and we were all looking at t-shirts. Then I realized that Steve was slowly moving away from us. Before I could figure out what he was doing he had a man down on the floor with his arm twisted behind him. I thought the clerk was going to have a stroke. He kept saying the man was a guest."

"So, what was the reason?"

"He was stealing," Steve stated bluntly. " I could see him in the reflection in the store window. He had pocketed several items of jewelry while the clerk was distracted. Once I emptied his pockets the clerk called the manager. The man was obviously a professional thief. The manager and I went up to his room and we found that he had a three suitcases filled with things taken from around the hotel, including enough silverware to outfit a large dinner party. And he'd stolen all sorts of things from all the stores in the hotel.

"The manager figured it was almost $10,000 worth of items. Steve more than paid for our whole stay in what he saved the hotel. And the guy was supposed to be there for another four days. So he probably would have made off with even more. The police came, and I have to believe that the manager mentioned Steve because the chief of police joined them. While they all took care of business, the assistant manager put together lovely gift baskets for the children. They were thrilled. They have shirts, shorts, hats, pretty much every branded item they have in the hotel the kids came away with."

"So what did the police chief say to you?" Sam asked Steve.

"He was very grateful for my help. He also said that of course as head of 5-0 I'm welcome in Maui at any time to solve crimes, but that if I plan any future vacations he wanted to suggest Kauai." Steve chuckled. "The resort manager, however, offered me a free week's vacation whenever I want and a job as a lifeguard."

"So the flight home was uneventful?" Kono asked.

"Actually yes, it was. We had a lovely time. And speaking of home, I better get these two home." Mary stood up and stretched.

Sam immediately jumped to his feet, "I'll help you get them home. Why don't I follow you so you don't have to wake them to get them into the house?"

"That would be great. Let me get their things together," Mary went into the kitchen. Everyone else climbed to their feet and began cleaning up the food and debris from dinner.

As soon as Mary left the room Sam bent to shake Steve's hand and said softly, "Hey, if you guys have something going on just say the word and I'll just help her out. If not," Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing going on. We're just good friends. She's got kids and is looking for a quiet family life. That's not where my life is right now. But let me tell you, don't hurt her." Steve whispered back, his voice deadly.

"Hey," Sam held his hands up. "I'm looking for the same thing. And her kids are terrific. I'd love to have a family, and she seems like a special lady." He held out his hand and Steve shook it. Sam bent and picked up Jacob who snuggled his arms around Sam's neck. Mary came back in, her tote bag full of the children's things over her shoulder. She bent down and picked up Sarah.

"Steve, your refrigerator is completely full. I think you'll be in good shape for at least a week. And the guys have taken care of the garbage and the dishes, so you're all set. If you need anything just give me a call." Mary turned to Sam and the two headed out with the children, the other bachelors calling goodbye followed closely behind.

Steve's team came in from the kitchen where they had finished the clean up. Kono brought a fresh cold pack for Steve's ankle.

"So Super Seal, what deal did you make with the police chief on Maui?" Danny folded his arms and looked down on his partner.

"Well, I promised him I wouldn't take the manager up on his offer, if he wouldn't tell you about what happened." Steve smirked slightly.

"You knew we'd find out eventually. What is it with you? You can't even take two days off and you're out saving the world. On your own no less."

"It's not my fault. These things just happen. Now get out of here." Steve waved them all off.

"I'll stop by and check on you tomorrow," Kono said as she and Chin headed out the door. "You coming Danny?"

"In a minute. See you guys on Monday." Danny watched them go. When the door closed he turned back to Steve who was shifting around so his foot now rested on a pillow on the couch. The cold pack was in place and Steve was yawning.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Do you need help up the stairs?" Danny asked.

"No, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I can tell your shoulder is hurting you as well as your ankle. I've never seen you sit still for so long, so it must be hurting you to move. How are you going to do the stairs?"

Steve took a breath and released it. "I was planning to sleep here on the couch. It's just easier."

Danny turned and went up the stairs. A minute later he came back with blankets and pillows. He put them on the couch next to Steve. "Anything else you need?"

"Another bottle of water would be great. Thanks."

"Steve, that's what being part of a team is all about." Danny brought back two bottles of water and put them on the table. He stood looking down at Steve shaking his head. 

"What?"

"I saw what you did. You sent Mary off with Sam. She's a nice lady Steve, and she likes you. Why wouldn't you want to pursue that?"

"Danny, you know what this job is like. How many times have you had to return Grace to Rachel early or miss time with her altogether because of work? It wouldn't be fair to Mary or the kids. Sam's a good man, he'll take great care of them."

"You know, I never would have thought you'd be a good father. But you would."

"Why do you think that?"

"A good father puts what is best for his family ahead of what is best for himself. And amazingly you were a good role model – everything Jacob said was right on. Good night Steve,"

"Good night Danno," Steve leaned over and picked up a book that was sitting on the floor next to the couch. Danny headed out the front door and lingered for a moment. He was wondering if he should offer to stay, he turned back and raised his hand to knock when he heard something unexpected. Steve was laughing. Danny ducked down and peaked into one of the windows. Steve was now lying on the couch, his head propped up on two pillows, a blanket draped across his legs. The lamp light was shining down on the book Steve was reading. And Steve was roaring with laughter. Danny shook his head, and turned to head for his car.

Inside the house Steve turned the page of his book and began laughing again. He really hoped that whoever had written this book had written a sequel.


End file.
